‘The Seven Sisters’ by Lucinda Riley

This sweeping and evocative series follows six adopted sisters who, upon the death of their beloved eccentric father, are given mysterious clues about their origins. Their individual journeys take them to various parts of the world where they discover their roots but are also given wings. This first instalment introduces the series as well as features the first sister Maia on her journey to her birthplace in Brazil. The names of the seven sisters are derived from the star constellation of the Seven Sisters of the Pleiades. There is also some Greek mythology thrown in and anagrams galore, like the name of the father is Pa Salt (Atlas). The castle where Pa Salt and the seven sisters reside is a picturesque and remote castle on the shores of Lake Geneva.

There is not a bit of this novel that is not engaging, mysterious, and romantic, but at the same time grounded and satisfying. It is a work of fiction wrapped around real historical figures. In the case of Maia’s story, the historical aspect is about the construction of the massive Christ the Redeemer statue which gazes over the city of Rio de Janeiro from the top of Corcovado Mountain. The architect and engineer of this amazing piece of art was Heitor da Silva Costa and the sculptor was Paul Landowski. The author seamlessly weaves these historical characters into the novel.

I am looking forward to carrying on with this series. Here is a list of the next instalments so far. This Irish author says she will take each sister in turn, and then the mystery of Pa Salt and the seventh unfound sister will be revealed in the final book.
1 The Seven Sisters
2 The Storm Sister
3 The Shadow Sister
4 The Pearl Sister
5 The Moon Sister